Teenager arrested after M6 car chase ends in Wolverhampton gardens
A teenage driver fled from his car and ran through gardens in Wolverhampton, following a police chase which began on the M6 and lasted for more than an hour.
The 17-year-old was found and arrested in the garden of a house on Pruden Avenue, Lanesfield, at 5.50pm yesterday evening, after climbing through back gardens. The police helicopter was called and was seen hovering over the city while the arrest was made.
Officers discovered a quantity of suspected Class A drugs, a baseball bat, and a knife in the Audi during a search of the abandoned vehicle.
The pursuit began on the M6 when officers spotted the vehicle on the northbound carriageway of the motorway, near to junction 7, but the driver failed to stop and sped through traffic to junction 9, where the car left the motorway.
Officers initially lost sight of the Audi, but traffic police spotted the vehicle in Walsall a short time later and followed the car onto the Black Country Route in the direction of Wolverhampton.
The car was followed through Woodcross, Hurst Hill and Ettingshall Park before the suspect pulled onto a drive on Ward Grove, Lanesfield and fled into neighbouring gardens.
The National Police Air Service and the force's dog unit were drafted in to locate the driver, and the teen was subsequently found hiding in a garden of a neighbouring street.
Inspector Greg Jennings said: "The motorist was clearly not going to stop for police and at times drove at dangerously high speeds on residential roads and busy highways.
"He eventually came to stop in a residential area, causing us to bring in specialist resources to make sure he was found and brought into custody."
The teenager was arrested on suspicion of failing to stop, dangerous driving, possession of an offensive weapon and two counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply. He remains in police custody.
